Thursday, May 23, 2013

emily vs ivy

Just when I thought I had the ivy under control, and away from my house, I realized how HUGE my property feels, and that the ivy has doubled down in areas I didn't even know had ivy problems.

I don't even want to talk about my side yard

Recently, my dad and I were walking around my house, and he started pointing out how the ivy has killed all, or parts, of some trees. This progressed to pointing out which of the larger trees are in danger of being overtaken by the ivy. He's right, of course, and so after he left I decided to cut the ivy off one of the larger trees he mentioned was a good candidate for saving. I've been focused on the front yard, and this tree was in the back. (I don't think of my self as having a back yard, just a small stretch of woods.)

This is my back yard, it's THAT bad.

As soon as I got to this tree, I saw that all of the trees in the back are huge, and they are all covered with ivy. Old ivy, with thick hairy roots...talk about overwhelming. But, my trusty saw tooth bow knife works like a charm, so I methodically got to work. Here's how it goes:

First I whack off the leaves on the bottom 3'-4' of the trunk so I can actually see the vines.

Then I work my way around the base, severing each of the vines, and pulling down what I can. I cut out a minimum of 6", but try to cut our pull a full 3'to 4' all the way around the tree. This will kill the ivy farther up in the trees as it heats up this summer.

before

after

close up of hairy ivy

It looks like I will be repeating this process literally hundreds of times this summer. Then the next step will be pulling the ivy back from around the trees, or trying to pull it out entirely. There is so much ivy in these woods that I'm worried I will have a problem with soil erosion if I'm not careful. There is a lot of vinca minor in parts of this area, and I wouldn't mind
leaving that as a ground cover, ONLY because it doesn't climb.

Sooooo, if anyone wants to go all Rambo in the woods anytime soon, let me know! I've got a couple extra knives, and a vendetta against the ivy. I pay in food and beverages!

6 comments:

I have that ivy added to some of my flowers in pots - I like the way it hangs down around the edges. I'm going to keep a close watch that it doesn't escape!I've been battling poison ivy - so count your blessings!Have a wonderful week-end!LeaLea's Menagerie

I have a little poison ivy, but not much. I didn't wear gloves the last time I worked in the woods, and now I have poison ivy between my ring finger and my pinky. Luckily I'm not very allergic, so it's not spreading, but it's an awkward spot, and it's not going away. Be careful with it in your yard!!

Sooooo, the spammers have finally discovered my blog. I'm not sure if that means I've 'made it', but it does mean that I have turned on comment moderation for my older posts. Don't worry though, I get the notifications quickly, and promise to read and publish anything that doesn't include random comments or suspicious links.

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About Me

I like to think of myself as a thinker and a doer. My academic training is in Mechanical Engineering, but my life's experience/work is a lot more varied. To best sum it up I'd say I'm an artist & an analyst who enjoys good food, good friends, and playing in the dirt.

A note

I'm not a very good blogger. I'm inconsistent at best. I've tried twice & failed. Third time worked for a while. I make no promises.

I tend to be a little all over the place, but I've blogged most consistently about my yard (garden is not quite the right word for this much wooded space), and living in my Great Grandmother's Cottage house. I'm love being back in Chattanooga, so I'm apt to recap my adventures her too.

Let me know you've stopped by! Leave a comment or check the box at the end of the post to tell me what you think. Sometimes we all need a swift kick for motivation. Thanks for visiting my random, ever evolving, blog :)